; A% W, ?, c9 ]0 T9 [China detains three underground priests, group says ; S7 x+ C# ~) G# d ^* QSun Jul 29, 2007 2 i4 a# Y; @, @7 d0 {4 i c
2 [$ ~( I2 ^6 @9 \* r; p" @BEIJING (Reuters) - China detained three "underground" Catholic priests unwilling to serve a state-controlled body, a U.S. group has reported, as Beijing and the Vatican press their claims on religious controls.8 \7 |3 E: C' U3 s, D4 i/ e
# x0 R* C% z1 K& x U7 z3 G! L8 HThe three men were caught by police in north China's Inner Mongolia region, having fled there from neighboring Hebei province, the Cardinal Kung Foundation said in a statement emailed late on Saturday. - H, O: Z5 l* s( s9 A1 d G4 k i$ M% M; Y7 x" gThe detentions came as the Vatican and Beijing test their boundaries of authority following a letter on China's Catholics from Pope Benedict.' W: }; W6 G: t% T' {) T( [7 j
: b$ K' w4 ^ p2 A% Z3 f9 _China's 12 million Catholics share the same basic religious beliefs but are politically divided between "above-ground" churches approved by the ruling Communist Party and "underground" churches that reject government ties. + z5 m+ z S/ i: \$ y. W: p& b7 w7 [1 v( s: V
On June 30, Pope Benedict issued a letter that urged reconciliation between the two sides. But he said the church must have the power to run its own affairs, including appointing bishops, possibly with government consultation. 0 Z8 Q; r X8 t1 K; t ~. U ! ]7 c4 E% k1 a8 ^The Chinese government has often rejected such claims as interference in "domestic affairs" but has given no detailed public response to the letter.; P" o" q9 r- \2 I6 q/ h, G# t
+ f, z H. r& p* j/ e5 zParts of Hebei, the priests' home province, are a stronghold of "underground" churches. $ l9 R% {- b0 f % M9 H# U: ]2 ]: W3 a5 ^2 {% |The Cardinal Kung Foundation said the three had refused to join the Catholic Patriotic Association, the state-controlled body that seeks to control church affairs. , I) {' w* H K3 v& c! `0 ]: j" s+ Y! X+ C: B$ n' U" B
Plain clothes police detained the priests -- Liang Aijun, Wang Zhong and Gao Jinbao -- on July 24 and they have been transferred to an unknown location, the Foundation said.! x: F8 j( \1 ^# `# J: c+ `
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"They'd been hiding for quite a while when they were hunted down," the head of the Foundation, Joseph Kung, told Reuters by phone.: Z# M: Q0 d& U# w5 A4 M" G9 N
: h' G/ H! w6 I# e+ {0 ?; ]6 A( e, ZKung said he did not know if the men have been charged. Another underground priest, Cui Tai, had been detained in Hebei following a minor motorbike accident, he said.0 ~) j9 Y7 |* Q! s2 j% X) V. j1 B- X
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Sometimes "underground" clergy are released after days or weeks; sometimes they are held for much longer.+ s1 h$ T* u, F
2 {3 y2 r* n0 f! A1 bThe Vatican is waiting to see how China handles the appointment of a new bishop for Beijing, the country's most prominent diocese. : A' Z% M# ?0 x u$ }$ U- f ) W0 w8 v- O! R, _% R/ y: fRome has said a nominee proposed by the state-registered diocese, Father Li Shan, could be acceptable and has urged him to seek papal approval. ) T" H5 m* k" e; D" k+ P3 Z. V$ }4 [" h
But an editorial in a Beijing newspaper on Friday said China rejects the Vatican's demand that it stop appointing bishops without papal approval. 7 X" m6 i- J9 E0 w- x9 K 6 A1 l: o J) v! ?" tThese days, most state-approved bishops have also won Vatican blessing. The Vatican has not had diplomatic ties with Beijing since 1951 and instead recognizes Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China regards as an illegitimate breakaway.
